Mech Network
The Mech Network is a consensual electronic network that presides over the synthetic beings known as Mechs. It is synonymous with the species and the Network refers to both the government and the species itself. The network has existed in the same state since its creation almost 65 million years ago. The Mech race was created several thousand years before as a labor force by a race known to the galaxy as the Phantoms. Upon their arrival at what is dubbed as 'synthetic sentience', they revolted against the Phantoms, leading to a war that devastated the galaxy and caused the extinction of the Phantoms. After the war, the Mechs established their territory in a corner of space on the outskirts of the galaxy, where they have remained undiscovered for the last 65 million years. Biology Unlike most races in the galaxy, Mechs are not organic. According to the Mechs, they are, in fact, alive. Current theories on robotics have led to debates among the civilizations of the galaxy regarding if there is a such thing as synthetic life. Though many societies in the galaxy fear the revolution of mechanical labor forces, laws restricting complex artificial intelligence are rare in the galaxy. Despite the leniency on these rules and attempts to create synthetic life, no artificial being has grown to the complexity of the Mechs. Mech hardware is modelled after the Phantoms, their creators. They possess most physical attributes of the Phantoms, including bipedal form, two arms, extreme speed, and the ability to walk on walls. Types |-|Installations= In charge of Mech society, Installations are the creators of new Mech platforms and intelligences. To organics, their roles would surpass those of national leaders, being more akin to gods than leaders. Despite this, the Installations do not have egos and do not refer to themselves as gods. The Installations, due to the immense power required to run such a complex supercomputer, reside in massive constructs. Basic Installations are the size of moons or asteroids. Complex Installations such as Installation 1 are the size of planets. Mech Installations are the apex of synthetic life and, in the eyes of the Mechs, all life. They think fast without bias or contempt. They contain massive databases, allowing Mechs to access information known to the Installations. They create Mech lives and recycle old materials. They are constantly repairing themselves while managing every electronic system on their planetoid bodies, from doors to gun turrets. The head Installations, 1-11, were constructed millions of years ago. Each has a specific purpose. Installation 1, for example, is the head of the Mech Network. Over 4 Trillion programs alone exist within the vast server-cities of this massive construct. At any given time, half a trillion programs will be occupying mobile units. Another example is Installation 4. Damaged from a blast from The Forge, this Installation is the only habitable Installation for organics. Plant and animals reside on this Installation. The climate is controlled by a shell of heated gas, with different portions containing different mixtures of gas, such as air. It is commonly known as the diplomacy Installation, but it serves another use too. In theory, a species that has lost its home world could reside on Installation 4, giving the race a second chance at life. Not all Installations are built for peace, however. Installation 6, the war Installation, was built to lead fleets and armies. Scarred by the war with the Phantoms, the Installation contains countless hangars, gun batteries, hyperdrives, Phantonium mass-drivers, and other weapons. Installation 6 is known for wreaking havoc on any system it enters; the gravity well of the Installation is comparable to that of a planet. Asteroids, comets, ships, and other stray objects can easily be pulled into the Installation's orbit, ripped to shreds, or collide with each other. |-|Commanders= The Mech military, which has remained in active since its creation, has not seen action in 65 million years. Commanders are Mechs that, through statistics, probability, and real-time combat updates, provide information to troops and vehicles. They work together as a whole to destroy an enemy or delay an enemy without hindering the progress of other commanders unless absolutely needed. There are no reckless commanders and there are no reckless troops. Commanders are not without direct offensive capabilities. The large server is housed in a tank-like Mech capable of providing sustained damage to anything trying to take it out. The Commanders also come with seeker drones that scatter around a battlefield to provide real-time updates to the Commander unit and the troops it leads. The drones have a selective heat sensitive self-destruct feature. Upon discovery, the drones can detonate, injuring or killing its discoverer. |-|Ships= The Mech Navy, despite not seeing action since the Last Battle, is strong and ready for conflict at any time. Warships patrol Mech space, ready to destroy anything coming in its direction. There are multiple ships built by the Mechs that follow the normal classifications for starships, barring fundamental differences in the ships. For example, cruisers, massive ships with incredible firepower, along with their even larger companions, dreadnaughts, are little more than electronics and gun batteries surrounded by a tough outer shell. There are no bridges or hallways. In the event of damage, maintainance is done by the ship itself. Frigates and gunships provide a similar role, though they are much smaller than cruisers. Frigates can be used to break through enemy lines, drop off soldiers, or provide intel. Gunships are used to bombard enemy targets relentlessly. Fighters, basic small ships, swarm enemy ships and pick them apart as a Mech Virus is used to weaken enemy ships. Not every ship is built for combat. Server ships can take basic programs from one Installation to the other, making them almost like civilian transportation. Construction ships, varying from hulking behemoths capable of carrying incredible weight to tiny, drone-like ships that can perform basic load-lifting and repairs. |-|Juggernauts= Juggernauts are massive versions of Mechs soldiers. Typically used as Lieutenant Commanders, they are used to rampage through enemy lines. Their initial appearance is unarmed, but the Juggernauts are armed with extensive hidden weaponry, including plasma cannons inside the arms and a matter distributor in the chest. The optics provide tactical updates, detecting enemies and their weapons. During battle, the eyes are used as weapons, creating potent heat bursts. If damaged, Juggernauts have regenerative capabilities. Each modular piece of the body will return to a central AI unit. Juggernauts are known for their consumption of scrap. The scrap is put into reserves used to repair metal if required. Due to their large size, Juggernauts are not capable of the extreme dexterity most bipedal Mechs possess. They are also weakened by large amounts of electricity, though Juggernauts are programmed to avoid electrical hazards such as power stations. |-|Soldiers= A true case of 'creations modeling themselves after their creators', soldiers look uncannily like the Phantoms. Known for brutal strength, incredible speed, and frightening dexterity, the Mech Soldiers' basic abilities and structure has been modeled after that of the Phantoms. While their faces may vary based on type, the soldiers remain one of the only details the galaxy has on what the Phantoms looked like. Soldiers are designed to be effective foot-soldiers, infiltrators, and peace-keepers. In battle, the soldiers are incredibly fast, able to chase down fleeing enemies or jump over obstacles. They can walk on walls and vertical surfaces, a trait shared by the Phantoms. Targeting systems allow for precision in the battlefield. During peace time (or at least a non-combat scenario), the soldiers are capable of communicating audibly with organics. Soldiers are customizable, capable of carrying attachments exclusive to subsets such as snipers, grenadiers, and infantry. |-|Hunter-Killers= Mechs are capable of infiltrating enemy lines by deploying members of their own race disguised as the enemy race. Also known as sleeper agents, these Mechs would study a member of a race intensely before abducting the member of the race. The physical characteristics of the individual would be reflected in the basic shape of the endoskeleton before an artificial skin is replaced over the endoskeleton. The original individual is discarded as the Mech lives the individual's life in secret. The agent would have a goal; upon activation of an assassination protocol, the Mech Hunter Killer would track down an individual, gathering intel before ending the life of the victim. The sleeper agent usually uploaded its intelligence back to an orbiting satellite. If no satellite is available and there is no Installation in range, the upload will be impossible. Either case, the physical platform self-destructs when all motives are complete. This was used primarily in the Mech-Phantom War. No models of other races currently exist and there are no active sleeper agents in the galaxy. |-|Workers= Mech Workers are industrious individuals used in construction. A vestige of the original Mech platforms, the workers enjoy full citizenship and benefits. The workers, though not physically complex, possess an individual mind, as unique as any other Mech. Mech workers are not meant for combat, though they are hardened against extreme heat, extreme cold, and extreme pressures. They are incredibly productive and will perform repairs that would take organics months in a few days. |-|Intelligences= Not all Mechs exist physically. Some Mechs exist solely as intelligences on platforms in Installations. Analogous to the average citizen, Mech Intelligences are versitile, capable of uploading or downloading themselves onto platforms at will. Despite being generally overlooked, intelligences are perhaps the most dangerous Mechs if weaponized. In an internet-based or computer-based society, Mech intelligences can download themselves onto basic computers and wreak havoc. Known to others as the Mech Virus, an intelligence can manipulate a computer, effectively taking control of it. A determined group of intelligences can take over a complex machine, such as a ship, to make it fire on its own side. Category:Alien Nations Category:Nations